2023 Cadillac Escalade vs 2022 Lexus RX

The 2022 Lexus RX, with its base 350, F Sport, and L trim levels, along with the RX 450h hybrid model, exuded a modern and sporty aesthetic. Its aggressive styling was most notable among its midsize luxury crossover competitors like the Audi Q5 and BMW X5. The RX featured sharp character lines and angular features in the front and rear, carefully restrained to avoid excessiveness. This resulted in a satisfying, eye-catching design, especially in colors like Nebula Gray Pearl. For 2022, the RX added new colors such as Cloudburst Gray and Iridium, with the F Sport models introducing Grecian Water.

The F Sport trim was the most athletic in appearance, boasting 20-inch wheels, black-housing outside mirrors, dark window trimming, and F Sport badging. Its unique front fascia included larger air intakes, and the distinct front and rear bumpers added to its sporty appeal. While all RX models offered high-fashion exteriors, the F Sport trim stood out as more aggressive and visually striking.

Inside, the RX maintained a luxury appeal with nearly a dozen color combinations available, except for the F Sport trim, which stuck to black or dark red NuLuxe synthetic leather paired with model-specific Scored Aluminum trim. Non-F Sport models offered a mix-and-match of NuLuxe or semi-aniline leather seats with metal and wood trim pairings. Soft-touch surfaces and high-quality hard plastics dominated the cabin. However, the center stack felt a bit dated, despite the addition of infotainment touchscreens in the 2020 refresh.

Comfort was a mixed bag in the RX. The NuLuxe seats in the F Sport trim were firm and lacked adequate lumbar support, making it challenging to find an ideal driving position. Despite its shortcomings, the RX's limited-edition Black Line trim level offered high-end aesthetics with black-colored exterior and interior elements, enhancing its premium look.

Moving to the 2023 Cadillac Escalade, this SUV boasted significant presence with its towering height and considerable length. Despite its large size, the Escalade sported an athletic and trim appearance due to thin LED lights and darkened chrome bits in the Sport Platinum trim. These design elements masked its mass, making it visually narrower. The Escalade’s handsome SUV appealed to those who wanted to flaunt its plus-size dimensions with pride.

The Escalade came in six trims, all equipped with 22-inch wheels and intricate lighting sequences. Each trim had distinct grille designs, with the black honeycomb mesh on the Sport trims being a favorite. Spotting the Escalade V-Series was easier if one noted the quad exhaust tips and red brake calipers.

Inside, the Escalade's first row impressed with a curved array of screens spanning 38 inches, surrounded by fine wood trims and leather upholstery in various combinations. The high-quality inlays were reminiscent of high-end vehicles like Rolls-Royce. However, the appeal diminished with controls borrowed from cheaper GM vehicles and unsupportive seats. Despite these flaws, the Cadillac still offered impressive treats like thick, wool-like fabric in certain trims and high-quality leather in most variants.

The 2022 Lexus RX 350 came with a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 295 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque, while the RX 450h hybrid model offered a combined output of 308 hp. All RX models featured an eight-speed automatic transmission, with FWD standard on the RX 350 and AWD available. The hybrid RX models only offered AWD.

Unfortunately, despite its sporty image, the RX often felt sluggish and lacked the sporty performance its F Sport designation suggested. The engine's note resembled a turbocharged four-cylinder rather than a V6, and acceleration was unimpressive. The drive modes, especially Sport and Sport+, did little to enhance the driving experience. The F Sport Handling package, borrowing components like the adaptive variable suspension from the LC500 sports car, failed to deliver noticeable improvements in handling or sportiness.

However, where the RX excelled was in driving comfort and cabin quietness. It absorbed rough patches well, making for a smooth ride. EPA estimates for the RX 350 were 20 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 23 combined, with AWD models slightly lower. The RX 450h hybrid achieved 30 mpg combined, making it the more fuel-efficient choice.

In contrast, the 2023 Cadillac Escalade offered a standard 6.2-liter gasoline V8 engine with 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. This engine provided ample power for towing, but in passing situations, the Escalade felt heavy. It featured a 10-speed automatic transmission that performed adequately, but in Sport mode, the powertrain felt strained.

The Escalade-V variant addressed acceleration issues with a supercharged Corvette V8 delivering 682 hp and 653 lb-ft of torque. It was the only Escalade with appropriately sized front brakes, enhancing its performance. Cadillac also offered a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6, which matched the V8's torque but with better fuel economy, achieving a combined 22 mpg with 4WD.

While the Escalade's 4WD system was not as advanced as others, it featured magnetic dampers and superbly tuned steering, making it more maneuverable than many large SUVs. However, wind noise was noticeable at highway speeds.

The 2022 Lexus RX offered 99.8 cubic feet of passenger volume in its two-row configuration, comfortably seating four adults. Headroom was 39.4 inches in the front and 39.1 inches in the rear, with ample legroom at 44.1 inches up front and 38.0 inches in the rear. Three-row L models, with their tight space, were more suitable for groceries than passengers. The cargo space behind the second row was 16.0 cubic feet or 32.6 cubic feet with the second row folded. Three-row models offered only 7.45 cubic feet with all seats upright, expanding to 23.03 cubic feet with the third row down, or 58.48 cubic feet with both rows folded.

In comparison, the 2023 Cadillac Escalade excelled with its spacious interior, offering 25 cubic feet behind the third row, 73 cubic feet behind the second row, and a massive 121 cubic feet with both rows down. This made it roomier than competitors like the Lincoln Navigator L and Jeep Grand Wagoneer L. The independent rear suspension allowed ample space in the third row, accommodating six adults comfortably.

Both vehicles had thoughtful interior features. The RX had a dedicated smartphone slot, an adjustable-height cup holder, and a head-up display button. The Escalade offered user-friendly controls, a front console refrigerator, power-retractable side steps, and an air suspension for easier loading and unloading. The Escalade's tailgate had a separate glass window, great for pets, but the second-row seats were not powered.

The 2022 Lexus RX came with an 8-inch touchscreen, with a 12.3-inch version available. Despite moving the screens closer to the driver in 2020, they were still ergonomically unfriendly due to the cove design. This made accessing icons on the bottom of the screen challenging. The touchpad control was also frustrating to use, even while parked. However, the RX offered a range of tech features, including six USB ports, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wireless charging, Amazon Alexa, WiFi hotspot, premium audio systems, navigation, and more.

The 2023 Cadillac Escalade stood out with its expansive OLED screens providing sharp and clear displays. A front camera projected a high-res feed on the instrument panel, showing directional arrows and street names. Super Cruise, a hands-free highway driving system, was another highlight, providing better functionality than Tesla's system. Super Cruise used infrared eye-tracking cameras to ensure driver attentiveness and worked on over 200,000 miles of U.S. highways.

The Escalade also featured night vision with pedestrian detection, a 36-speaker AKG audio system, massaging front seats, and a rear-seat entertainment system that could stream apps like Hulu. The LED headlights were impressively bright, adding to the vehicle's tech appeal.

The 2022 Lexus RX came standard with Lexus Safety System 2.0+, including adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, road-sign recognition, lane-keeping assist, a pre-collision system, and intelligent high beams. Additional features were blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a head-up display, and Lexus Enform Safety Connect. The RX was a Top Safety Pick by IIHS with optional triple-beam LED headlights and scored four stars overall from NHTSA.

The 2023 Escalade received four out of five stars from NHTSA, losing points in frontal crash and rollover resistance tests. It had standard forward automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, a Safety Alert seat, rear parking sensors, and a rear-seat reminder. Optional safety features included reverse emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and Super Cruise.